Extreme Nooblet Questions

[romelus]

i have just started playing SH3. i've never played any sub sims before :oops:

i got through the naval academy ok, and started a career in 1939. after sinking a merchant ship and an armed trawler, i headed toward scapa flow base with one topedo left in my type IIA. (the trawler forced me to dive but i eventually was able to get away, then track it down and sink it)

i ran into a hunter destroyer near the base and i immediately started turning and diving, and went into silent mode. soon there were multiple warships circling above me (i guess the redlines on the map point to the sound sources). the sonarman could only report the nearest sound source.

i forgot to check the depth of the seafloor and my sub ran into it, taking some minor damage. my sub went up to 36 meters to avoid the seafloor. maybe that damage produced sound, but i noticed the stealth meter turning red. then suddenly, while i was looking at the map, i got a flood of damage reports in half a second, then realized my sub was dead from the destroyers...

now the questions:

1. was it stupid to approach a british base in a type IIA? is it ever a good idea to get close to a base?

2. when facing multiple warships, what's the best method for getting away? i got sunk after i started a straight course. is it better to zig zag while diving as deeply as possible? in silent mode?

3. how do i know if depth charges are being dropped? i don't really want to use the free look function to look above water.

i have begun reading the various tutorials, but need to know what errors i made

[romelus]

oh i almost forgot. SH3 is very choppy for my computer at times. i have turned off high res textures but it hasn't helped much. i have an old geforce ti4200 64mb card, but can play games like company of heroes and painkiller fine with some graphic options off. it's even laggy inside the command room (not seaspray problem). i have forced shaders to 1.1 using rivatuner. it's still laggy. extremely laggy while i tried to sail out of port (had to use map mode to get out).

any way to turn down the graphics or turn off some options in SH3?

[Sailor Steve]

1. Depends on what mods you are using. In the stock game you get away with quite a bit. With NYGM or GWX it's not a good idea in any u-boat, but it is a good idea to take as many eels as possible. If you only have one left, forget it.

2. Turn, turn, turn!

3. You'll hear them hit the water. Also, you can hear the destroyer's propellors speed up just before they drop. Also also, if you use the Old Sailor's patented conversions of the old Das Boot Sound Mod, your sound man (who is played by the actor who played Hinrich in the movie) will yell "Wasserbomb!!!", giving you a pretty good indication that trouble is on the way.
http://www.u-boot.realsimulation.com/

UBRS DLC/SH3 Audio Mods/Sailor Steve(1.4ready).rar

[bigboywooly]

Hi and welcome to subsim

Ok first of all
I wouldnt dare go into Scapa with 1 torpedo left and no deck gun in case of troubles
Not that you would get much of a chance to use a DG up there

Your problem started with being spotted by the first DD
Up around Scapa its very shallow and there are plenty of destroyers around to help out once you have been found

Dive as deep as you can go and engage silent running

Try to keep your rudder 5-10 degrees over to one side then alter to the other after a while
Sharp changes will slow down your speed to almost a stop

You sonar guy should call out when DC in the water
If you get that report then go flank for a short burtst and then back to 2\3 kts before they stop

Try heading out to deeper water as you make your escape
The deeper the water under your keel the deeper you go

There are plenty of good evasion tips in the forums

Enjoy your stay

When you start the game go to options then video
Lower the particle setting

SH3 is a processor\menory and graphics hungery game

What are your overall PC specs ?
Your card is a bit on the low side

[romelus]

i'm not using any mods. trying to learn the stock game first.

the weird thing is that i didn't hear any thing being dropped in the water, and my sonarman didn't say a thing. i just suddenly died... :hmm: i was looking at the map and watching those red lines the whole time (they are enemy sound sources right?) do i need to be next to the sonarman to hear him speak?

i was sailing on the surface, it was night when i ran into the DD. after the game brought me out of time compression because of spotting the DD, there was still time to dive and remain unnoticed right? i was still out of the small cone of the DD at that time. i assume the small cone is its sonar range. i think i was just in the large cone of the DD on the map. not sure what the large cone represents. visual range?

i had a feeling going to scapa flow was a mistake. luckily i saved the game beforehand :ping:

my pc is an athlon xp 1800, 1.5 gb ram. i will try turning down the particle setting. it's weird that the command room is choppy though. it wasn't that choppy in naval academy.

[Curval]

1. was it stupid to approach a british base in a type IIA?
2. is it ever a good idea to get close to a base?

Not at all. With only one torpedo though...why?

It can be a very good idea at certain times. If you don't want to know don't click the link, but the dates of certain ships in certain ports are about halfway down this page:

http://edseek.com/archives/2005/05/04/silent-hunter-iii-survival-guide/

[Curval]

<- What is with the One Night in Bankok avatar!?

lol:rock:

[danurve]

Greetings romelus; Welcome to the addiction.

Silent running is one good thing but in the shallows your playing with angry destroyers. On the lower left next to your speed dial/control there's a button, press it it changes to a knots reading. In silent running make sure your 3 knots or less, 2 is better. If you can listen-track a dd in early war use your marker and ruler tools. Try to position you aob best you can and less then 1500m. Destroyers can manuver quickly. Trying to use auto lock is like almost usless. Un-lock and aim forward of her bow, fire a steamer as if your aiming to go just ahead of her. Can't tell you how many time this manuver has worked but it takes a bit of trial & error.

Now, your vidio card. Ok it could use more gas but try disabling the event camera.
One thing at a time, :|\\
Make sure you have the 1.4 official patch btw.

[Rykaird]

i'm not using any mods. trying to learn the stock game first.

I would recommend you consider GWX not as a mod, but as SHIII.5. It really is a better version of the stock game, not a "mod" per se.

[romelus]

1. was it stupid to approach a british base in a type IIA?
2. is it ever a good idea to get close to a base?

Not at all. With only one torpedo though...why?

It can be a very good idea at certain times. If you don't want to know don't click the link, but the dates of certain ships in certain ports are about halfway down this page:

http://edseek.com/archives/2005/05/04/silent-hunter-iii-survival-guide/

i wanted to see if i could get in, sink a ship with my remaining torp and get out unscathed :dead:

years of playing fps games has taught me to take stupid risks just to see if i could pull something off

[romelus]

Greetings romelus; Welcome to the addiction.

Silent running is one good thing but in the shallows your playing with angry destroyers. On the lower left next to your speed dial/control there's a button, press it it changes to a knots reading. In silent running make sure your 3 knots or less, 2 is better. If you can listen-track a dd in early war use your marker and ruler tools. Try to position you aob best you can and less then 1500m. Destroyers can manuver quickly. Trying to use auto lock is like almost usless. Un-lock and aim forward of her bow, fire a steamer as if your aiming to go just ahead of her. Can't tell you how many time this manuver has worked but it takes a bit of trial & error.

Now, your vidio card. Ok it could use more gas but try disabling the event camera.
One thing at a time, :|\\
Make sure you have the 1.4 official patch btw.

i think i was under 3 knots. i haven't figured out how to use the hydrophone myself. from reading some posts here it sounds very useful.

what is aob? angle of something?

also by auto lock do you mean automatic aiming for the torps? i have the 1.4 patch

[stabiz]

You shouldnt install GWX when you have a 64MB gpu, mate. Upgrade first.

Welcome to subsim, romelus!

[romelus]

i'm not using any mods. trying to learn the stock game first.

I would recommend you consider GWX not as a mod, but as SHIII.5. It really is a better version of the stock game, not a "mod" per se.

i'll try it after i've learned to stop dying in my first mission :yep:

[romelus]

You shouldnt install GWX when you have a 64MB gpu, mate. Upgrade first.

Welcome to subsim, romelus!

if that's the case i'll stick with vanilla for now. it's choppy enough as is.

new and silly question for all

i tried to load the game i saved before i headed toward scapa flow. but it's not in the load career list of save games :o

i have 3 saves visible in the game, 1 in the base before mission, 1 at start of mission (sep 1), 1 of me dead (sep 10). i think they are all autosaves. i can still see the manual save on my hard drive, but how do i load it?

[Brag]

Welcome Romelus.
The chaps gave you some good advice. Here's my ten cent's worth:

Stay away from shallow water!
Stay away from Das Kanal (The English Channel)! Stay away from British Bases (the food there is bad) :88)

[mookiemookie]

1. was it stupid to approach a british base in a type IIA? is it ever a good idea to get close to a base?

2. when facing multiple warships, what's the best method for getting away? i got sunk after i started a straight course. is it better to zig zag while diving as deeply as possible? in silent mode?

3. how do i know if depth charges are being dropped? i don't really want to use the free look function to look above water.

1. Yes, yes, hell yes! You're crazy to approach a British base in ANY freaking sub. Real U-boat Kaleuns didn't raid ports as a rule. Just remember the corollary to jimbuna's "STAY AWAY FROM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL" rule, which is: "YOU ARE NOT GUNTHER PRIEN!"

2. Everyone has their own tactic on this. Of course, the easy answer is "don't put yourself in the position to have to evade multiple warships in the first place." But if you do find yourself having to do so, dive deep (150+ meters) , go silent running, and try zig zagging in a course leading away from the convoy (I'm assuming you're attacking one if multiple warships are after you) with course changes every 3-5 minutes

3. Easy answer to this one: "KA-BOOM!.....KA-BOOM!....KA-BOOM!" ;)

[romelus]

new and silly question for all

i tried to load the game i saved before i headed toward scapa flow. but it's not in the load career list of save games :o

i have 3 saves visible in the game, 1 in the base before mission, 1 at start of mission (sep 1), 1 of me dead (sep 10). i think they are all autosaves. i can still see the manual save on my hard drive, but how do i load it?

ok i got this sorted out myself. it seems like the game date is not updated during the mission. even though the save had sep 1 as the date (and no ships sunk in the log), it is the correct save that i made before heading to scapa flow

[romelus]

1. Yes, yes, hell yes! You're crazy to approach a British base in ANY freaking sub. Real U-boat Kaleuns didn't raid ports as a rule. Just remember the corollary to jimbuna's "STAY AWAY FROM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL" rule, which is: "YOU ARE NOT GUNTHER PRIEN!"

2. Everyone has their own tactic on this. Of course, the easy answer is "don't put yourself in the position to have to evade multiple warships in the first place." But if you do find yourself having to do so, dive deep (150+ meters) , go silent running, and try zig zagging in a course leading away from the convoy (I'm assuming you're attacking one if multiple warships are after you) with course changes every 3-5 minutes

3. Easy answer to this one: "KA-BOOM!.....KA-BOOM!....KA-BOOM!" ;)

i admit i had to look up gunther prien. damn he was doing the very same thing, except he succeeded :88) i'll try raiding bases when i'm more experienced

strange i didn't hear any sound. but the way i play i'll run into more DC sooner than later lol

on a good note, i just managed to finish the 1st patrol mission from my earlier save. i ran into a C2 cargo ship and my lone torpedo sank it :arrgh!: i think i'm getting addicted

[Brag]

Congratz on the sinkings, Herr Kaleun :up:

[bigboywooly]

Yes tis the start of a long lonely addiction

Welcome to the club

[Gezoes]

I tried to get into Valetta three times now.

I'll stay away now, I want to live :rotfl:

[zaunkonigII]

No, really, raiding bases can be very profitable, if you take the necessary precautions. I once followed what I thought was a tanker into Portland. It took me a long time approaching the base under silent running, and tensions are running high. I expected the dreaded red sonar line to come up anytime soon, but none came. I decided to take the chance and enter the harbor, and guess what I found: Two (2) T2 tankers, a C2 cargo ship and a couple of small merchants. NO WARSHIPS, WHATSOEVER. I had a blast taking them all out with my deck gun :). :sunny: Whee! Added a sweet 50k to my tonnage total.

[Rykaird]

Also also, if you use the Old Sailor's patented conversions of the old Das Boot Sound Mod, your sound man (who is played by the actor who played Hinrich in the movie) will yell "Wasserbomb!!!", giving you a pretty good indication that trouble is on the way.
http://www.u-boot.realsimulation.com/

UBRS DLC/SH3 Audio Mods/Sailor Steve(1.4ready).rar

Yes, he has a very distinctive voice. Steve, how did you come by it? Did you meet the actor and tape him?

[Sailor Steve]

Of course not. The DBSM was created by some very talented people for SHII, by using the audio files from the movie. I just converted them to .ogg for SHIII.

[romelus]

thanks for the help guys. i have a couple of new questions

1. i found out i couldn't use the flak gun in rough weather. does it mean the only defense against airplanes in rough seas is to dive? is this historically realistic? i would imagine one could still fire it with extreme inaccuracy in real life

2. about the stealth meter. am i detected when it's yellow? i was following a merchant and it started evasive manuevers, yet i don't think the meter ever got to red. how long must the meter be yellow/red before it's a sure thing that i'm detected?

[fredbass]

thanks for the help guys. i have a couple of new questions

1. i found out i couldn't use the flak gun in rough weather. does it mean the only defense against airplanes in rough seas is to dive? is this historically realistic? i would imagine one could still fire it with extreme inaccuracy in real life

2. about the stealth meter. am i detected when it's yellow? i was following a merchant and it started evasive manuevers, yet i don't think the meter ever got to red. how long must the meter be yellow/red before it's a sure thing that i'm detected?

1. Once winds exceed 8-9 kts, you can't use flak guns in game. Don't know about historical info.
2. I don't think you'll get detected until it's been red for a while. I'm not sure about the amount of time, but if it's just red for a few seconds, you'll probably be ok.

[High Voltage]

thanks for the help guys. i have a couple of new questions

1. i found out i couldn't use the flak gun in rough weather. does it mean the only defense against airplanes in rough seas is to dive? is this historically realistic? i would imagine one could still fire it with extreme inaccuracy in real life

2. about the stealth meter. am i detected when it's yellow? i was following a merchant and it started evasive manuevers, yet i don't think the meter ever got to red. how long must the meter be yellow/red before it's a sure thing that i'm detected?

1. (The pros can answer this one)
2. When the stealth meter changes color, it does not mean that you have been detected, only that you RISK being detected...

[romelus]

i just managed to sink my first hunt I destroyer :rock:

i was lucky to get behind it, so it couldn't detect me easily. it was night and i was surfaced to keep up with its speed. i fired two torps, the 1st one disappeared way before making impact, so was probably a dud. before the 2nd one made impact i fired a 3rd one just to be sure. well the 2nd torp detonated shortly after and the DD sank!

since i used up 3 torps, i tried using my flak gun on a small merchant. i pumped the full 1000 rounds into it. the ship ejected all sorts of debris and i even pushed its container off the deck, but i couldn't sink it with the flak gun. i've read that it's possible to sink ships with the flak. do i just need a better flak gun or an even smaller target? or was i shooting at the wrong location? i was shooting at the superstructure, because shooting at the waterline produced nothing but ricochet sounds :shifty: i had basically a machine gun as flak, and only AP rounds

[Brag]

The flack gun by itself will not sink ships. Maybe if you had caused other previous damage, it might help bring the ship over the edge. /the flack will sink fishing boats. I tried to sink a tug with to no effect.

[mookiemookie]

[quote=romelus]thanks for the help guys. i have a couple of new questions

1. i found out i couldn't use the flak gun in rough weather. does it mean the only defense against airplanes in rough seas is to dive? is this historically realistic? i would imagine one could still fire it with extreme inaccuracy in real life


Yes, the only defense is to dive. That should always be choice #1 when faced with airplanes. It's also historically realistic,as usually U-boats wouldn't engage an airplane unless it was spotted too late to get under in time. (It could be hard to spot airplanes as they would drop in out of the clouds, and they could sneak up on you since you couldn't hear their engines over the submarine and ocean wave noise.)

The risks to losing a crewman over the side in rough seas while firing the gun and while reloading, as well as the extreme inaccuracy made it pretty much impossible to use the guns if the seas were choppy enough.

[Heibges]

When the Germans first upgraded the AA on their uboats, the Allied answer was to attack with 2 or more planes at once, especially over the Bay of Biscay.

Once the Allies could attack at night with radar which the uboats couldn't detect, the Germans were basically buggered.

Forced below the surface, the uboat captain had to pray the target steamed over the top of him, because otherwise there would be no chance to intercept due to the low underwater speed of the uboat, and limitations of uboat batteries.

[romelus]

hmm i guess the risk of losing a flak gunner overboard is rather high in rough weather. i did run into a couple of planes in my latest patrol. it was really difficult to track them. they appear for only a few seconds. by the time i swang around the flak gun they were already on their way out. they dropped bombs but luckily didn't hit me. it was nothing like the training mission where they just flew slowly in circles waiting for me to shoot them down in 10 minutes. :stare:


Forced below the surface, the uboat captain had to pray the target steamed over the top of him, because otherwise there would be no chance to intercept due to the low underwater speed of the uboat, and limitations of uboat batteries.

this happened to me, in a bad way. i shot 2 torps at a J class DD on my 4th patrol. it was the biggest DD i had seen yet. first torp hit but didn't sink, 2nd one either missed or was a dud. i shot my 3rd fish, but it started turning and evaded the attack. now it was coming straight to me. i had realistic reloads on, and it would be another few minutes before i could shoot again, so i backed up full speed.

the DD was much faster and my men were still reloading. before i knew it the DD was almost on me! i decided to turn too late, and also made the dumb decision to go from reverse to full forward. well... they drove right over my periscope, i was dumped back into a leaking command room :rotfl:

they cut me real bad. and i sank like a stone with red damage to much of the hull. i put a repair team together but they couldn't repair fast enough. soon i hit the bottom and a few seconds later i died due to flooding. :dead:

second death in 4 patrols... good thing this wasn't real. i reloaded and finished the patrol sinking the J class DD and two V&W DDs.

on the flak gun sinking. i managed to sink a trawler with only 100 rounds. no prior damage to it. i tried sinking an armed trawler and couldn't do anything to it after 1000 rounds. bullets just seemingly bounced off. meanwhile it took my hull to 71% with some nasty deck gun shots, but its flak gun shots bounced off my hull too. i think this has something to do with armor levels. armed trawler is the same boat as a trawler, just probably armored. i hope i'll get a deck gun soon (might need a new sub for it), then those trawlers will pay!!!